rant
Americanverb (used without object)
-
rants,
present (3rd person singular)
-
ranted,
past participle, past
-
ranting
present participle
verb (used with object)
-
rants,
present (3rd person singular)
-
ranted,
past participle, past
-
ranting
present participle
noun
-
rants
plural
-
ranting, extravagant, or violent declamation.
- Synonyms:
- extravagance, bombast
-
a ranting utterance.
verb
-
to utter (something) in loud, violent, or bombastic tones
-
(intr) to make merry; frolic
noun
-
loud, declamatory, or extravagant speech; bombast
-
a wild revel
-
an energetic dance or its tune
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
rantsimple
-
rantssimple
-
have rantedperfect
-
has rantedperfect
-
am rantingprogressive
-
are rantingprogressive
-
is rantingprogressive
-
have been rantingperfect progressive
-
has been rantingperfect progressive
Past
-
rantedsimple
-
had rantedperfect
-
was rantingprogressive
-
were rantingprogressive
-
had been rantingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of rant
First recorded in 1590–1600, rant is from the Dutch word ranten (obsolete) to talk foolishly
Explanation
A rant is an argument that is fueled by passion, not shaped by facts. When the shouting starts on talk radio, or when a blog commenter resorts to ALL CAPS, you're almost certainly encountering a rant. Rant comes from the Dutch ranten, "to talk nonsense." Rave is a close synonym — in fact, "to rant and rave" is a popular expression. When rant is used as a noun, it means something like tirade. The first recorded usage of rant is from the end of the sixteenth century, in Shakespeare's The Merry Wives of Windsor. By the middle of the turbulent seventeenth century, the name Ranters was used as a catchall pejorative for various groups of radical Christian dissenters.
Vocabulary lists containing rant
Instead of "Said": Vexed Verbiage to Express Anger
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
"The Hunger Games" Vocabulary from Chapter 1
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
The Secret Life of Bees
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
And while I could rant about the division of labor and parenting when it comes to different-sex couples, I actually don’t think gender has anything to do with your problem.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 19, 2026
Rodrigo's as likely to reveal her ugly side – jealousy, obsession, self-destructive decision making – as she is to rant about her feckless exes.
From BBC ● Jun. 10, 2026
Yes, we love a good rant about the terrors of technology from a comedy legend like Seinfeld, who got famous long before the advent of artificial intelligence and smartphones.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 13, 2026
Either way, many of us can do little more than rant about it.
From Salon ● Apr. 10, 2026
The woman continued her rant, throwing her arms in the air and spitting on the floor of the hut.
From "Between Shades of Gray" by Ruta Sepetys
That tattoo and the social media posts -- which Platner explains respectively as the result of a misguided outing during his Marines days and dark post-combat rants -- highlighted the risk of running untested candidates.
From Barron's ● May 3, 2026
Guys: You can’t, immediately after the event, ask an American president to parse and consider the rants of his would-be killer, to chatter on about why someone would want to shoot him.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 30, 2026
Largely known for viral clips of his expletive-laden rants during streamed 'watchalongs' of United matches, his two YouTube channels have amassed 3.7 million subscribers.
From BBC ● Apr. 24, 2026
It feels like peak Gen Z. There are videos where he rants about Love Island.
From Slate ● Dec. 11, 2025
The graphic details, the tearful confessions, the furious rants.
From "Challenger Deep" by Neal Shusterman
Actor Ryan McCartan ranted on Instagram about poorly timed giggles during his performance in “The Great Gatsby.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 8, 2026
“That’s the whole meaning of life, isn’t it — trying to find a place for your stuff,” Carlin ranted.
From MarketWatch ● Nov. 21, 2025
Paul ranted against the “petty vindictiveness” of the move, how “the level of immaturity is beyond words,” how he had lost “a lot of respect” for Trump, and how it wouldn’t stop him.
From Slate ● Jun. 14, 2025
She ranted: "Where you going to have the wedding reception? On the log flumes? And what's on the menu for the wedding breakfast? Hot dogs and candy floss?"
From BBC ● Dec. 20, 2024
Ever since, she’s ranted about thieves, double- and triple-checking to make sure our doors are locked, worrying that someone will steal the truck, clutching her purse against her chest in crowded markets.
From "The Queen of Water" by Laura Resau
Then there was Sly Stone’s oft-delayed set that ended with him ranting about his former manager and led to a slander lawsuit.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 6, 2026
No one wants to be remembered as a ranting, near mad man or woman, though on a certain level there is plenty of reason to rail against death.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 9, 2026
It’s the kind of passive shuffle people do when faced with someone unhoused asking for money, or when someone having a mental health crisis begins ranting in the streets.
From Slate ● Oct. 22, 2025
In this scene, Nate gets offended when Andy says she’s not hungry anymore after ranting about Miranda and the challenges of her job.
From Salon ● Aug. 17, 2025
When she objected to his ranting, he broke off the conversation and didn’t call back for months.
From "Endgame" by Frank Brady
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
